Sugar Coatedness
by Kurisutaru
Summary: Usagi wants to follow her dreams and open up that Candy store she's always dreamed of. Sadly, she can only go to the one man that makes her skin crawl and her eyes roll for help.


Sugar Coated-ness  
  
Chapter 1  
  
July 2003-Oct 2003  
  
Kurisutaru  
  
kurisutaru_faithful@hotmail.com  
  
http://fly.to/kuris-chan/  
  
Disclaimer: blah blah... own Sailor Moon?! HECK, I don't have the sanity for  
  
it....BHWAHHAHAHA  
  
I would like to say, that I'm using this following website,  
  
http://www.sugarmountain.ca/, for inspiration and references to actual  
  
candies... BHWHAHAHA  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Usagi was almost there. She smiled proudly at herself. The dream was almost  
  
complete; the grand opening of her very own candy shop. She looked around the  
  
empty store, envisioning all the children happily pressed up to the glass  
  
displays, tugging at their mothers' skirts, pleading for a taste; or the happy  
  
couple trading chocolates; or...  
  
All those visions came crashing down to reality as a hand slapped down rather  
  
loudly down her head. "Odango, wake up! There's a still lot to do."  
  
Usagi sighed and glanced over at her business partner. Reality sunk in as she  
  
remembered she was only a poor university student with a dream. The overbearing  
  
man next to her was the annoying reason why her dream was becoming true. Curse  
  
Mamoru Chiba, the only one that had the finances to support her vision! Usagi  
  
got off the ladder and began moving boxes again. She chuckled at the remembrance  
  
of just how she had roped her not-so-great friend, Mamoru, into opening a candy  
  
shop with her.  
  
Ah yes, it had started that very afternoon in the arcade as she was telling  
  
Motoki about the one thing she had always wanted to do. She explained that she  
  
wanted to make her dream a reality, hoping that Motoki would be glad to help her  
  
out with the finances. Alas, it turned out that his resources were low, and he  
  
had a wedding to plan.   
  
So, you may ask, what about Usagi's many other friends? Simply put, Usagi didn't  
  
have the heart to ask them for money. They each had their own dreams they wanted  
  
to follow, and in fact, some weren't even in Japan anymore. Logically her  
  
tuition-paying parents would have been her next best bet. Wrong again; as much  
  
as they enjoyed paying tuition, they would rather not have Usagi doing something  
  
that would take time away from her studies. It seemed that until Usagi finished  
  
school, she couldn't start her business. With years of education to go, she felt  
  
that time was too far away. Usagi had done the research: demographics, target  
  
customers, even a location. All she needed was the money.  
  
Sorely disappointed, Usagi sulked into her milkshake. It was then, that Motoki  
  
had a brilliant idea. What about Mamoru-san?   
  
Just the sound of his name caused the instant reaction of a nose wrinkled in  
  
disgust. It didn't matter whether she disliked his presence or not, her dream  
  
was at stake. It was then that she remembered he didn't seem to like her very  
  
much either. Usagi cringed as she tried to conjure up a memory of a time when  
  
she was actually civil with him. There wasn't even one, not even when he saved  
  
her cat. Usagi cursed at that point.  
  
"Toki-onii-san... There's just no way I'm going to get him to help me, even if I  
  
could accept working with him. Let's face it, the man hates me!"  
  
Motoki rolled his eyes. He would have laughed, too, but that would have drawn  
  
attention to his knowledge of their real "relationship." It was a relationship  
  
of, well, denial really. Since Usagi was in junior high, the two had been  
  
sparking with mutual attraction. This attraction was mainly in the form of  
  
playing a game of "tease and flirt," every day. Well, "tease and flirt" Mamoru's  
  
style, which, unfortunately, consisted of Mamoru bringing Usagi down to the  
  
lowest level of self-confidence. Man, did it suck to be liked by that man. His  
  
expressions of love, concern, empathy, any emotion, simply sucked. Yet, neither  
  
one had figured out that they could potentially have something happen between  
  
them. Above all, they played the game of denial. Most unfortunate.  
  
"Nonsense, Usagi, just trust me on this, okay? He usually shows up around this  
  
time, so just go behind the counter here and stay put. I'll get him to agree  
  
with you. But you're right, it's probably best if he doesn't see you," Motoki  
  
smoothly answered.  
  
As reliable as Motoki's good looks, sure enough, Mamoru Chiba came waltzing in.  
  
"The usual, Mamoru?" Motoki asked.  
  
"Sure," was Mamoru's usual curt reply, unaware of the attacking proposition that  
  
Motoki was about to make. "So, how are you doing lately, Motoki?"  
  
Motoki smirked behind the coffee machine. Good old reliable Mamoru always asked  
  
the same questions. "Man, I'm actually not doing too well right now," Motoki  
  
started off innocently.  
  
Mamoru was a bit taken aback by his reply, but quickly diverted all his  
  
attention to the ordeal. Usagi found herself doing the same as Motoki was about  
  
to plant the question.  
  
"Go on," Mamoru said quickly.  
  
"You see, I have this friend..." Motoki let the statement hang for effect as he  
  
glanced down at Usagi for her last chance to drop out. Since her eyes didn't  
  
waver and she hadn't kicked him in the shins yet, he continued.  
  
"She's very close to me, and has been very upset. You see, she wants to open up  
  
a candy store, but she doesn't have the finances to go through with it. I was  
  
her last hope, but you know how tight I am on money right now," Motoki  
  
explained.  
  
Mamoru was silent, and from Usagi's point of view, that was the best situation  
  
she could hope for. For once he opened his mouth, only words of terror would be  
  
coming out.  
  
"Well 'Toki, I'm not surprised that no one is willing to help your friend out.  
  
Not many people know the market for a candy store is good right now. Who's your  
  
friend? I mean, I've been looking for a place to invest in."  
  
Usagi felt herself fall into a state of shock, followed by leaping to her feet  
  
and shouting, "BOO-YAH!"  
  
Poor Mamoru's socks were knocked off by the sudden blonde fluff that came  
  
popping out from behind the back counter. His palms became very clammy as he  
  
realized who Motoki's friend was. As if she read his mind, Usagi chose that  
  
moment to shout, yet again, "You said it, buddy, now you HAVE to help me!"  
  
Horror trickled its way into Mamoru's lungs. He was trapped by the glitter in  
  
her eyes and the you-know-you-have-to look in Motoki's eyes.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
My God... He had bought a candy store.  
  
He couldn't recall most of the process. Papers, talk, heart pounding - that was  
  
all he could really remember. It was all such a haze that he thought perhaps it  
  
was just some messed-up dream. However, all he had to do was glance down to his  
  
left hand. It was grasping a small stack of paper that explained the nightmare  
  
in full legal detail.  
  
He had bought a candy store. Okay, so he hadn't bought it all. About 17 percent  
  
of it belonged to Usagi...whose presence only added to his misfortune. Ha! He  
  
had thought Usagi was happiest in the vicinity of a sundae; check her out now!  
  
Glee was all over her face, practically making her eyes look like a pair of  
  
sugar-glazed donuts. Unfortunately, Mamoru only liked chocolate donuts.  
  
"Mamoru, I can't thank you enough again. I really didn't think you'd go through  
  
with this," Usagi said softly. The most obvious thought running through Mamoru's  
  
head was that he hadn't thought he'd go through with it either. Yet he was  
  
distracted; it was rare for him to see Usagi in such a state. She seemed to  
  
float, almost surreal, in her genuine thankfulness. She looked amazing - not  
  
that she normally didn't, in her own quirky way. Mamoru's heart fluttered a  
  
little, like the many other times in the past when he'd witnessed her wonder. It  
  
was simply remarkable how such simple emotion flowed through her; one can't go  
  
on without feeling the comfortable effects of her feelings.  
  
He wanted to open his mouth, to say something, really anything, to keep this  
  
moment lasting forever... "Trust me, Odango, you'll be wishing you hadn't gone  
  
through with it either, once we get started."  
  
Gah, he had ruined it. The familiar crease on her forehead began to form, and  
  
her eyes exploded into a liquidly marble flame. "Mamo-baka! I'll show you!" she  
  
screamed at him before running down the street and out of his vision.  
  
Mamoru looked on as the young woman trampled down the street like a drugged  
  
elephant glowing in its pride. He let himself smile; she had that affect on him,  
  
and the smile lingered until their next meeting.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was a Thursday, a very surprisingly wet Thursday. The clouds looked down over  
  
Tokyo high above the skyscrapers. People bustled about with cute rubber booties  
  
and umbrellas in as many colours as the flavours of 'Skittles.' Rain didn't suit  
  
Tokyo, for the pavement was nothing like the absorbent natural grounds that used  
  
to be there. It trickled down the streets like the many roaring rivers of the  
  
Tibetan mountains. Most of all, it made Usagi Tsukino jumpier than usual. One  
  
had to be careful around a jumpy Usagi - not that she wasn't always as jumpy as  
  
a 'Jelly Belly' bean, and as crazy as their flavours, too!   
  
Usagi rolled her eyes again to the sky, muttering at how Mamoru just had to  
  
insist on meeting today. He'd said something about exams... Usagi shuddered at  
  
the thought of exams. She glanced at her watch, only to find that she was late  
  
again! Usagi charged to the Crown arcade where she found Mamoru sitting  
  
leisurely in a booth with his laptop and a cup of coffee. He looked up and  
  
smiled. "Right on time, Odango."  
  
Usagi stared at him. Right on time? She quickly glanced down at her watch in  
  
disbelief. How was she on time? Was this a joke? Yet there were no signs of  
  
mockery on his smooth face. His smile was relaxed, playful. What was going on?  
  
"All right, who are you and what have you done to the Mamo-baka I love to hate?"  
  
For a moment she felt like she had choked on Luna's hairballs; had she just used  
  
the word "love?"  
  
His smile didn't change; he just chuckled a little and smoothly announced that  
  
he had accidentally told her to come earlier. Usagi fumed as she sat down,  
  
muttering, "Accident my ass."  
  
"Anyway," Usagi said rather coldly, "What decision is so important that you had  
  
to call me out here in the pouring rain?" Did he not believe in her abilities to  
  
handle the business tasks?  
  
"Don't give me that look." Mamoru frowned at Usagi's reaction, had he hurt her  
  
that much? "I know you can deal with the necessary details. This is about  
  
picking our merchandise." He concluded by turning his laptop around to show a  
  
list of candies that they could sell.   
  
Usagi's eyes lit up like newspaper on fire, positively glowing. She grabbed the  
  
laptop from across the table and clicked away, while making a terrible "fwu fwu  
  
fwu" noise with a hideous aurora bubbling around her. Mamoru's blood curdled a  
  
little; was she laughing? He realized that perhaps it was a bad idea to give  
  
Usagi the power to pick sugar types.  
  
The rain continued to fall outside as several hours passed. Usagi had shuffled  
  
next to Mamoru to share ideas on the kinds of candies the store should have.  
  
Usagi glanced down at her empty mug and looked away from the cancer-giving  
  
screen to order another cup of hot cocoa. The waitress came to take Usagi's  
  
order, while clearly gawking at Mamoru's obviously boyish good looks. Usagi  
  
raised an eyebrow with the thought that the woman seriously needed to get out  
  
more. As usual, Mamoru was completely unaffected by the flamboyant gestures the  
  
waitress made to get his attention. Instead, he burst out into amused laughter.  
  
"HAHAHA! Odango, look at this one, they're called 'Cow Tails'," Mamoru said as  
  
he pulled the laptop into her view.   
  
Usagi just gawked at his sudden free laughter. First, it was unusual to see this  
  
man not uptight and unemotional; he was loose and actually kind of comfortable  
  
to be around. Second... "What's so funny about 'Cow Tails'?"   
  
Mamoru stopped laughing and stared at her rather obvious hair. The waitress, who  
  
for some odd reason hadn't left yet, glanced at Usagi's hair and actually had  
  
the gall to join in the laughter. "You're so right," she coyly giggled.  
  
Agitated, Usagi snatched the laptop and turned it around again in perfect view  
  
of the waitress. "At least I'm not a 'Malteaser,' trying to pick up customers  
  
from who-knows-where." It was then that Mamoru realized that the waitress was  
  
even there. She turned red as a beet and quickly scuffled away. Mamoru, as  
  
strangely easy-going as he was, laughed it all off. Usagi smiled; her cocoa  
  
arrived, via another waitress, and they continued on.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Weeks - or was it months? Usagi couldn't remember how much time had passed by.  
  
She hadn't seen Mamoru much since the day they had picked the merchandise. Sure,  
  
there were a few curt conversations on the phone, but nothing significant. Of  
  
course, Usagi wasn't looking for a significant conversation with Mamoru. Err, of  
  
course not.  
  
By this point they had worked out all the major details. The candy started to  
  
arrive and they had started working on the store itself. Actually, this weekend  
  
they were going to gather a bunch of people to help paint the store and get the  
  
shelves installed. Usagi felt her heart gurgle with excitement; her dream was  
  
getting closer and closer to becoming a reality. The unfinished store had become  
  
her second home. She studied and laboured in it. With school during the day, she  
  
couldn't remember much of anything to do with time. Midterm after midterm after  
  
essay, it all deprived her of sleep and haunted her. Usagi was ecstatic when her  
  
last day of major exams arrived. Today was the first day in a while that she had  
  
been able to visit the store.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Usagi rubbed her eyes while she dangled her keys: clang, clank they went. It was  
  
strange; the light was on inside. Obviously Mamoru was there, she pounded the door   
  
a few times more, but he wasn't answering the door. She wobbled to the front of the store, slithered the key into the keyhole and popped open the door. Usagi stared in shock as she found  
  
Mamoru with a set of pounding headphones drooping from his ears. His body was clad in  
  
sweats, with all the muscle presenting itself as he shifted some boxes of 'Hubba  
  
Bubba.' Ha! What perfectly-suited candy. Ha, but the kicker was that he was doing  
  
it all while chewing the biggest chocolate bar she'd ever seen.   
  
"MAMO?" Usagi wailed in shock, her arms slipped downward and her bag plopped on the floor.  
  
Mamoru quickly realized he was no longer alone. Surprised, he dropped the box  
  
that was in his hands and tore the headphones from his ears. Trying to be  
  
casual, he nibbled at the chocolate bar and took it in his free hand. "Hey,  
  
Odango, I didn't think you were coming by..." he said somewhat nervously.   
  
Why does she always catch him off guard he demanded of the supernatural. He  
  
could see the sweat drop breaking its meniscus, ready to fall, driven by the  
  
loud beat coming from his headphones. Quickly breaking the tension, he shoved  
  
the half-eaten chocolate bar toward her and croaked, "You want some of this?"   
  
Usagi cracked into insane laughter. Never had she expected Mamoru to be so  
  
absolutely cute.   
  
"Wait a minute. You Mamo-baka! Who told you, you could eat what we're going to  
  
sell?" Usagi screamed.  
  
A solitary bunny-laced shoe smacked into Mamoru's head. Mamoru cocked an eyebrow,   
  
and took a HUGE bite out of the candy bar. Usagi laughed again, this time she pushed   
  
her fallen belongings to the side and rolled up her sleeves to tackle the remaining   
  
boxes, and grab her own stash of chocolate.  
  
Slowly, they were growing closer...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Erhm... so... ^^"' how was it? (email email!! I haven't gotten one in so long...   
  
:( )  
  
Be gentle :D  
  
SLAVE... I'm a slave to failing school..... *wails* 


End file.
